Does a wheelchair make a person nonhuman?
Have you heard of the new documentary called Murderball? It’s a film about men who play quadriplagic rugby. For those unfamiliar, quad rugby is similar to wheelchair basketball. Guys who play those sports are some tough dudes! I have not seen the film but I found this review of the film and nearly fell out of my chair when I read this quote by the reviewer:
“The highlight of the film is how it manages to humanize these athletes for us.”
This makes me laugh. I have never felt nonhuman because of my wheelchair and I have never sensed that others view me that way. I’m not dissing this reviewer but I just wonder if there are any people out there who see someone in a chair and see a cantalope instead of a person? Anyone care to comment? 😉
2 Comments:
At August 05, 2005 10:40 AM, Garrett O’Hara said…
Makes somebody unhuman? That’s only if somebody’s idea of “human” is merely physical, and unfortunately, such people do exist.
At August 08, 2005 6:18 PM, Thomas More said…
I was going to comment, but I think the commenter on the site you linked to said what I was going to say, and said it well. In many situations, people often view other people as symbols, and not as individuals. It’s got nothing to do with being “non-human.” But I think you knew that.
Makes somebody unhuman? That’s only if somebody’s idea of “human” is merely physical, and unfortunately, such people do exist.
I was going to comment, but I think the commenter on the site you linked to said what I was going to say, and said it well. In many situations, people often view other people as symbols, and not as individuals. It’s got nothing to do with being “non-human.” But I think you knew that.